2 fishermen rescued when boat sinks off Florida's Gulf Coast

Oct. 27, 2017

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Two shark fishermen are back on land after their boat sank just off Florida's Gulf Coast.

Ryan Hagler tells WFLA that he and friend Chris Leath were participating in a fishing tournament early Friday when their boat started taking on water. Before help arrived, the men ended up in the water.

A Pinellas County Sheriff's helicopter crew spotted them around 3:20 a.m. Friday. The men were suffering from hypothermia but are expected to be ok.

Hagler says they were "starting to panic a little" before the rescue crew arrived.

The men say they lost their 11-foot boat and some $3,000 in fishing equipment.